An honest calculation, long overdue

How many more years do you actually need to work?

Get a serious estimate in about thirty minutes, from a tool built by someone who actually retired. Then spend the evening testing what would move it.

See if you can quit → Why this is different
  • private
  • no account
  • stays in your browser
  • not financial advice
A lone kitesurfer cutting across a calm Mediterranean bay beneath a wide open sky, a single yellow kite tethered above. A limestone hilltop village with a church dome sits on the distant coastline.
Thirty-minute estimate

Thirty-second estimate

The age at which work becomes a choice — a back-of-envelope estimate in six questions.

All in your browser. The numbers you enter never leave it. Your inputs are remembered locally so you can come back to them; clear them any time.

Earliest viable at
—

Illustrative model output, not financial advice. Sensitive to your inputs and ETQ's default assumptions. See limitations.

A first pass. Add your partner, property and rental income, debts and major future events, market scenarios and reserve goals next, and the answer sharpens.

Ease me in — one question at a time→ I'm ready — every detail, every assumption→
Who built this, and why
A sleeping dog on a sunlit Mediterranean terrace overlooking the sea, a closed laptop with a notebook, pen, coffee and folded glasses resting on a nearby side table — the builder just out of frame.
— the builder, on a Tuesday afternoon

Not another 4% rule blog

ETQ was built by a former management consultant and corporate CFO, who retired at 53 and has not gone back.

He wanted a model that reflects real life, not rules of thumb. He could not find one that met the standard, so he built a sophisticated Excel model himself, now the engine behind this tool.

Most early retirement content is produced by people who have not had to live with their own advice. This tool reflects the perspective of someone who has already made the decision, tested the numbers against his own retirement, and acted on them.

It is designed for people with demanding careers who want a full life projection, grounded in real cash flow and net worth dynamics, to know when work becomes optional, and how much sooner that could be.

ETQ is not authorised or regulated as a financial adviser, investment firm, pension adviser, credit intermediary, or insurer in any jurisdiction, and it does not give regulated financial advice or personal recommendations.

The progression

Start light. Go deep when you are ready.

Whether you find spreadsheets soothing or soul-destroying, start where you like.

Thirty-second estimate→

Six inputs. Get an approximate retirement age. Enough to tell you whether this is a conversation worth continuing.

Guided walkthrough→

A guided walkthrough — one question at a time uncovering all income, expenses, assets, commitments, sales and scenarios that could impact your retirement. No jargon, no friction.

Full model→

The full engine on a blank canvas — projections and scenarios comparison to end of life, updating live with every input and assumption laid out in front of you. Zero walkthrough, full control.

No sign-up. No account. Your numbers never leave your browser.

We build wealth for freedom, then forget to be free.

A serious estimate is waiting.

Start where you like — thirty seconds, a guided walkthrough, or the full model.

Find your number →